THIRTY-ONE
CLARA
I’d almost forgottenhow good it felt to get ready for something that wasn’t a disaster.
My curling iron sat on the bathroom counter, cord snaked across the sink. I watched my reflection as another strand slid off the barrel and fell into a soft wave against my shoulder. I was no longer a runaway bride or the small-town girl returning home with her tail between her legs. I was simply a woman with a job. Someone who finally had a plan.
My jeans were clean, my sweater was soft and neutral enough to look intentional, and my makeup was perfect.
A mug appeared on the edge of the vanity in the mirror.
“Big plans today, Duchess?”
Wes leaned in the doorway, one shoulder propped against the frame like the house had been built specifically to give him something to smolder against. His hair was still damp from his shower and a little dark at the temples. The worn Henley he wore did obscene things to his chest and arms.
Coffee steam curled up in front of his face, carrying the smell of dark roast and the tiniest, sweetest hint of vanilla creamer. He’d made it the way I liked it without asking.
Again.
I set the curling iron down and reached for the mug. “A few errands. I’ll be starting at the farm,” I said, blowing across the surface. “I’ve got to take measurements, finalize a few locations with Elodie and Cal, double-check power outlets and load-in paths.” I shot him a wink in the mirror. “It’s real glamorous stuff.”
His mouth tipped. “Sounds pretty fancy to me.”
I took a grateful sip and hummed as the coffee slid across my tongue. “I’m also trying to convince the weather to cooperate so no one gets hypothermia. All in a day’s work.”
He watched me for another beat, that lazy, quiet attention wrapping around my shoulders like a blanket. The bathroom had never felt so small.
“I’ll drive you,” he said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You’ll freeze your ass off carrying the gear on your own.”
The mug hovered halfway to my mouth.
He usually said things likeHave funorDon’t dieand then retreated to his room or the safe end of the couch. Turning down invitations was practically his part-time job.
Volunteering wasnew.
“You don’t have to,” I said carefully.
He shrugged, his muscles shifting under cotton. “Roads are clear. Farm’s not far.” His gaze flicked over my shoulder to the curling iron, the notebook already half stuffed in my bag. “Besides, I can see Cal and catch up for a minute while I see you in action.”
A fizzy little thought tried to uncurl in my chest. Maybe he wanted to see my world up close.
I swallowed it down with another sip of coffee. “Sounds good,” I said, turning back to the mirror so he wouldn’t see my grin. “You can be my assistant.”
“I’ll add it to my résumé,” he muttered, but there was a warmth in his voice that hadn’t been there a month ago.
Snow piledin soft drifts along the fence line at Star Harbor Family Farm, the inn sitting tall and moody against the pale sky. In the distance, the barn’s blue siding glowed like a postcard. Everywhere I looked, my brain snapped into framing and exposure and the bone-deep itch to make something beautiful out of all this cold.
Wes parked near the side entrance of the inn and killed the engine. When we stepped out, our breath puffed white, the air crisp enough to sting my nose.
“Well, time for my butt to freeze off just like you predicted,” I said, hitching my tote bag higher on my shoulder.
Wes’s gaze dropped to my ass. “It would be a tragic loss,” he replied, locking the truck. “Humanity will mourn.”
The front steps creaked under our boots as we climbed, the old wood dusted with fresh powder. Inside, the inn smelled like coffee and cinnamon and the faint lemon of wood cleaner. Light poured through the front windows, washing over the polished floors and the Christmas garland still wound along the banister.
“Clara!” Elodie appeared from behind the front desk, cheeks flushed, braid looped over one shoulder. Her gaze flicked to Wes, and her smile went knowing. “You brought muscle.”
“He insisted,” I said, ignoring the way my stomach fluttered at the word. “I’m just here to boss everyone around.”